9 Incredible Short Grey Beard Styles You Need To See [2021]

A short grey beard is stylish, masculine, and well-suited to a wide range of face shapes.

Short beards encompass a lot of different styles. You can choose anything from a disconnected goatee to a short boxed beard.

Maintenance is often easier with a short beard too. It still shouldn’t be ignored, though. 

In this article, you’ll find 9 examples that we think are incredible.

You’ll also find lots of tips on how to sculpt these styles and how to keep them well-groomed too.

Let’s have a look at some fantastic examples.

9 Best Short Grey Beard Styles 

Take a look at these nine short grey beard styles. There’s a chance you’ll find one that calls out to you. 

Enjoy.

1. Heavy Grey Stubble

It’s convenient and easy to maintain. It can also be grown in just a matter of 4-5 days. 

Heavy stubble has been a go-to look for many men over the last few decades. One of the reasons why it is so popular is down to its rugged and masculine aesthetic. 

It’s usually between 4mm and 5mm in length. The example in this photo is at the longer end of this spectrum.

Even though it is an easy beard to maintain, it does require grooming. 

Once your facial hair has reached the desired length, maintain it by trimming it regularly and considering a drop of beard oil now and again as well. 

Your cheek line and neckline should also be kept sharp. 

Follow these basic stubble grooming tips and you can’t go too far wrong. 

2. Full Goatee With No Soul Patch

A full goatee without a soul patch, like you see in the photo, is a stylish look that can particularly suit men with shorter or rounder faces. 

All goatees elongate the face by adding prominence to the chin. 

As with all goatees, the cheeks are shaved clean. For men with naturally patchy cheek hair, goatees may be a perfect solution. 

Removing the soul patch and keeping the mustache trimmed also exposes more of the lips. If this is one of your stand-out features, then this look could be for you.

To keep your cheeks and neck smooth, you’ll want to shave them daily. Trim the goatee down to your desired length as and when necessary. 

3. Full Goatee With A Soul Patch

This look differs from the previous one on our list because the soul patch hasn’t been removed.

The soul patch is that tiny patch of facial hair immediately beneath the lower lip. 

Combining a full goatee with a neatly-defined soul patch is both artsy and neat. 

A soul patch that’s been carefully sculpted like the one in this picture is yet another way to make a standard full goatee style a little more unique. 

As always, groom it properly. If you’ve got a few weeks’ of growth, brush it and oil it regularly. 

4. Extended Goatee

The extended goatee that you see in this photo is an excellent alternative to the two previous short grey beard styles that we’ve just looked at.

Basically, it’s a full goatee where the bottom edges tail backward along the first part of the jawline. 

It helps to define the jawline and is a great way to make a standard goatee just a little bit more interesting. 

Extending this along the entire jawline is what’s known as a “goatee with chinstrap”. It’s less subtle but does add even more definition to the jawline. 

Definitely one to consider if you’re not looking for anything too attention-grabbing but still want something a little more than a basic Full Goatee.

5. Grey Short Boxed Beard

The grey short boxed beard is defined by one characteristic feature – lowered cheek lines. 

This helps to elevate the cheekbones, which gives them more definition and prominence. 

It’s incredibly versatile. 

Plus, it’s easy to achieve. As long as the cheek lines are symmetrically lowered and have a nice, natural contour to them, you’re golden. 

A manual razor (ideally a straight razor) should be used to really sharpen these lines up. 

The hair on your chin is often left longer than on your cheeks with a boxed beard, but not always. 

The photograph is a great example of a beard that’s been immaculately trimmed and sculpted. 

A pair of beard scissors is a fantastic tool to invest in once your beard has a good few weeks of growth.

Stray hairs here and there don’t need to be dealt with using an electric trimmer – this could lead to chunks being taken out accidentally. 

Scissors will allow you to get so much more intricate with your trimming. 

6. Grey Goatee With A Chinstrap

A goatee with a chinstrap is a popular choice for men with grey hair. It’s versatile and complements a huge range of hairstyles.

As you can see, it’s quite simple to create. It combines a full goatee with a chin strap that acts as an anchor for the beard.

As I mentioned earlier, it adds a lot of definition to the jawline. 

This is perfect for rounder faces as it creates a more chiselled aesthetic. 

There’s some neck stubble in this photograph. Although I usually recommend that neck stubble is shaved off and the neckline is kept well-defined, there are definitely men who prefer this more natural look. 

It’s down to personal preference in the end. 

If you’re looking for the neatest finish, definitely shave it off. 

7. Grey Ducktail Beard

A ducktail beard is a style that can work with a variety of lengths. Having said that, you do need some length to really make it work. 

Crafting a ducktail out of heavy stubble is obviously going to be impossible. 

It is a full beard where the hair on the chin is grown longer than the cheeks. It’s then styled into a point. 

As you’d expect, it adds a lot of prominence to the chin. This lengthening effect isn’t ideal for a man with a “longer” face shape. 

But for men with shorter or rounder faces, it’s fantastic. 

It can be incredibly masculine. 

But with longer grey beard styles such as this, additional maintenance requirements will most likely be necessary. 

You’ve just got to work a bit harder to keep it clean. Washing it daily with water is extremely important. Using beard shampoo once or twice a week is also most likely going to be worth your while. 

Don’t overuse the shampoo, however. It can lead to drying out of the beard and the facial skin underneath. 

As always, brushing with a boar bristle beard brush and using beard oil will also serve you well. 

8. Light Grey Stubble

The stubble is between 1mm and 2mm. For most men, this length can be grown in a matter of a few days. 

You’ll need a stubble trimmer to maintain light stubble. This will give you so much more control over length, allowing you to trim down in very small increments. 

It’s a very subtle, yet distinguished look for any greying man to adopt. 

It’s important to note that trimming down to such short lengths (and shaving outside the neckline and cheek lines) can lead to soreness and irritation. 

Because of this, be sure to moisturize regularly, particularly after trimming sessions.

9. Grey Disconnected Goatee

As you can see, the chin beard and mustache are not linked. In other words, they’re disconnected. 

As with any goatee style, there is no hair on the cheeks. 

It’s the disconnection between the chin beard and mustache that makes this particular goatee variation stand out. 

This is a great option for men who find that this disconnection actually exists naturally. A lot of men struggle to grow hair in the space between their mustache and chin beard. 

Patchy hair or no hair in this space is very common and can be frustrating for a lot of men.

But it doesn’t have to be.

This disconnected style allows you to take advantage of this and simply exaggerate it. 

A great example of a disconnected goatee style is the Van Dyke. This is characterized by a pretty long and pointed chin beard. 

In addition, the mustache is usually curled upward into a Handlebar. 

Ultimately, any disconnected goatee style would be a great short style for any man with greying hair. 

As you’d expect, the silver finish just makes it look even more distinguished and mature. 

Conclusion

That’s it.

These nine different grey beard styles are well-suited to a wide range of face shapes, hairstyles, and fashion senses.

A short grey beard can bring out your best features. We think it’s a great look. We hope you do too.